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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

WA Sites to Pilot Meds-First Approach to Opioid Addiction

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Tuesday, August 27, 2019   

SEATTLE — Four sites in Washington are piloting an underutilized but proven approach to treating opioid addiction.

The Meds-First Initiative will rely on medication-assisted treatment clinics to administer prescription drugs like buprenorphine, which blocks opioid cravings and has been shown to cut mortality rates in half.

North Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Walla Walla will host the clinics, according to Rafael Broze, incubation manager with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, which is providing $4.25 million to the program.

"Maybe 25% of Americans have access to evidence-based treatment. That struck us as a huge disconnect,” Broze said. “If only 25% of people with diabetes had access to insulin, we'd be up in arms. And we're trying to solve this problem as we would that."

The University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute is providing training and studying the results of the initiative. The pilot is expected to treat more than 1,200 people over the next two years.

The clinics will be set up in high-need areas to treat communities most directly affected by opioid addiction. Broze said the Meds-First Initiative approaches this issue with the knowledge that substance abuse is a chronic disease.

"We understand that we may not have overnight impact, but we believe this project will save lives, it'll stabilize lives, it'll return people to what they had before,” he said.

In 2018, more than 47,000 people died from opioid overdoses, including about two per day in Washington state.



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